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11/12/2007 by Joanna.
We get a lot of customers buying essential oils to use on their animals. Some are doing courses in Animal Therapy and some are just keen home users who would love their animals to benefit in the same way that they do. I have been in contact with Pauhla Whitaker who is a qualified essential oil therapist for animals and she has kindly offered the following article for us to use on this blog.
Essential oils are a wonderful tool to enhance the well being and health of both our animals and ourselves and brings yet another dimension into holistic animal-care. Essential Oil Therapy (EOT) uses oils extracted from the buds, flowers, leaves, twigs, bark, seeds, skins, peel, fruit, stems, resins and roots of plants to help re-establish the balance of the body and so restore and maintain good health.
It can be used to help a variety of issues from emotional trauma, to physical injury to supporting behavioural re-training as well as palliative care for those animals nearing the end of their lives. The welfare and needs of the animal are always paramount and because the owner is directly involved in administering the treatment it also helps with feelings of helplessness and disempowerment that people often experience when their animals are ill or suffering emotionally.
How does it work? Essential oils are extremely volatile. When inhaled they evaporate through the nasal cavity of the animal and the active parts of the oil pass easily into the blood stream via a rich supply of blood vessels. From here they are transported around the body and metabolised. The chemical constituents of the oil are also processed by the Limbic system which links the sense of smell to the brain and as a result messages are passed to the various parts of the body that are out of balance.
In nature, essential oils are messengers. They attract insects to pollinate plants, repel potential attackers and even give out distress signals to warn other plants of impending attack. When used therapeutically for humans and animals it is thought they behave in much the same way and act as messengers which encourage the body to switch on or off certain responses, e.g. switch on an anti-inflammatory response or switch off an allergic or pain response. Normally, Essential oils are given either by inhalation, or by allowing the animal to lick the diluted oil from the owner’s hand while topical application is normally reserved for the treatment of physical problems such as wounds and disorders of the musculo-skeletal system. Animals are adept “self-medicators” and seem to know, at an innate level, just what they need to maintain optimum health and so it is vital that they are given the choice to take the oils or not. By offering the oils to an animal to inhale and or lick if it wishes, and applying topically to areas of pain or injury if necessary, essential oils can gently encourage the body to trigger it’s own healing systems but whatever method you use, the most important thing is that the animal, be it a cat, dog, horse, rabbit or pet rat, has the choice to either accept or reject the oils and they should only be administered in the correct dilution and with care, respect and knowledge. Although the properties of various oils are generally accepted to suit certain conditions, there is no “one size fits all” with animals since the symptoms it is suffering from is often the result of many factors, both emotional and physical and so, while an oil like Yarrow may have antihistamine and wound healing properties and so be useful for allergic skin conditions, it may not match the emotional state of the animal. For this reason, each selected oil should be offered to the animal to “self-select” and if it shows signs of dislike or distress, that oil should not under any circumstances be forced on the individual. It is for this reason that oils are not massaged into the skin as the animal could not get away fro the aroma (as well as becoming a greasy, furry mess!) and this could cause incredible distress.
How do I offer the oils to my animals?To offer an oil to the animal, remove the bottle cap and grasp the bottle in your fist so that the neck doesn’t protrude above your hand in case the animal tries to grab it. Move the bottle towards the animal so that it is 10-12 inches away and then wait. The volatile components in the oil will evaporate and diffuse through the air and the animal will become aware of the aroma so you need to be patient and allow it to process the information it is receiving. Do not attempt to follow the animal around with the bottle, restrain it or coax it in any way. Just stay still and calm and let the animal guide you in its reaction.
Signs of keen interest are trying to lick or nibble at the bottle, quiet, intense inhalation, going into a trance like state, licking/smacking the lips, yawning, “smiling”, wagging the tail, or simply staying close by.
Dislike is indicated by extreme reactions such as the animal running away and hiding or quieter reactions such as backing away, looking worried or turning the head away.
If the animal wants to inhale the oil, let it do so for as long as it wishes and when it has had enough it will move away. Some animals may wish to lick the oil and in most cases, diluting it in a neutral base such as Sunflower at the dilution of 2 drops to 5ml for a dog or 1 drop in 10ml for a cat will be safe. However, there are certain oils that should not generally be offered to animals to take orally so you should always seek the advice of a suitably qualified therapist before offering oils so that you are aware of any contra-indications with the oils you intent to try.Oils can safely be offered twice daily for as long as the animal shows an interest but if this is longer than two weeks and the situations has not resolved or improved then it is wise to consult an Animal Essential Oil Therapist for a professional consultation.
When isn’t EOT appropriate? While many conditions and states respond positively to EOT, there are certain situations where some ground work needs to be carried out first.
When working with emotional/behavioural issues and many physical ones it is important to find the underlying cause and rectify it to give your animal the best chance of reaching a state of wellness again.
It may be that the therapist identifies some issues that need to be formally diagnosed and resolved by an appropriate professional before the use of essential oils is appropriate e.g. Back pain or saddle fit and dental problems in horses, potential pain issues in any type of animal or certain training, handling and environmental issues. A good example of this would be respiratory problems in rats and other small animals. If the cage litter and bedding is inappropriate e.g. wood shavings or sawdust, no amount of essential oils will help if the materials aren’t changed for something that does not contain harmful volatile oils which the animal can not get away from. Likewise, a dog that is destructive or soils in the house due to loneliness, lack of appropriate exercise or because it is left alone for long periods of time, will never be “cured” by essential oils until the underlying cause is remedied and appropriate lifestyle changes are made.
Working with emotions and behaviour It is also possible that in the case of behavioural issues, the problem is a simple breakdown in communication and confidence in the human/animal partnership and that this needs working on before the problem can be resolved. But, the careful, informed and responsible use of essential oils can act as an emotional “pause button” to help both animal and human find space to work with the issues and find their own solutions together and at their own pace. It’s a terrible cliché I know, but I am particularly interested in the question “are we like our animals or are they like us? ” I often find that the oils my own and my friends and clients animals choose are the same ones that we favour ourselves. Working from that view, if we try to look at the animal and human as a whole in our everyday interaction, why not extend this to treatments such as aromatherapy? Just as a physical problem in the rider can be mirrored in the horse because it has to compensate for the riders lack of balance, pain e.t.c. so can an emotional one so why should this be any different for smaller animals that we share our homes with and so probably spend far more time with than the average horse owner will with their horse. It is worth remembering that if we are not feeling “safe” emotionally, we can’t expect our animals to feel “safe” with us. A person who is not in balance with their own feelings and emotions can be like a loose canon around animals and they really do not appreciate being the butt of our emotional swings so, if we can try and take a step back from our problems before we step into our animals’ space, life is much better for all of us.
Working with physical problems Essential oils have purely physical properties too. Many stimulate the immune system and can also be used to treat a variety of conditions such as minor cuts, bruises, strains, skin irritation, respiratory conditions, parasitic problems etc but it should be emphasised that although careful use of oils is fine for minor first aid or treatment of previously diagnosed conditions, you must always get a veterinary diagnosis if you feel your animal has a physical problem or that a behavioural one has a physical cause. It must also be remembered that although many oils are natural substances, which are mild and safe in use, they can also be very powerful substances which form the base of many modern-day drugs, and as such, they have their own contra-indications and safety issues. Natural isn’t always safe!
As a qualified essential oil therapist I run regular workshops to educate owners of all sorts of different animals how to use essential oils safely and responsibly on the animals in their care. The main application for essential oils is undoubtedly in the following areas….
a) wellness care i.e. helping our companion animals achieve optimum health in order to fight off the inevitable challenges to the body, often triggered by emotional and environmental stresses b) acute care to support the individual during illness and c) palliative care to help make the final weeks and days more comfortable, both physically and emotionally and to give the owner and carer a sense of being able to do something positive to ease their animals situation.
Nowadays, the emphasis with many veterinary practises is on preventative care and there is vast scope for incorporating essential oils and other aromatic products into the day to day care of our small animals, as well as being able to make up our own health and grooming products tailored to our particular situation and with full control over the ingredients in them, providing it is done with appropriate knowledge and using only the highest quality ingredients (and with a little alchemy thrown in for good measure!).
Please note, this article is for information only and is not intended to replace veterinary diagnosis and treatment. It is your responsibility to inform your vet of any complementary treatments you intend to use on your animals. It is important that you are aware of the safe and correct way to work with essential oils before using them on yourself or your animals. If in doubt, always consult a suitably qualified person.
For further information on essential oils for animals consultations and education, go to www.animoils.co.uk © Pauhla C. Whitaker 2006.
We hope this gives a basic introduction to using essential oils with your animals and if you’d like further information please visit Pauhla’s site as shown above.
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